the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to us, we  went on an outing to 
 the glass factory that  bore  our family 
 name. it  had changed owners many  times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood   abandoned  for   a  long  while. 
 finally,  the  natural  end station  for 
 the buildings  that  survive:  a museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a  long  time since  my  family 
 made  anything.  by  many,  we would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there are  two main  factory  buildings, 
 domed things  of several floors, made in 
 yellow brick. large but  narrow windows, 
 reminescent     of    some    cathedral. 
 custom-made glass, of  course, large and 
 leaded, and ashen. a bit  too dark to be 
 practical.   on  the  eastern  building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one  is publicly open. there's 
 a  museum, with wax figures  of my great 
 great  great grandfather, or  something. 
 various  tools (or replicas) laid out on 
 tables, with explaining texts.  a lot of 
 glass      of     varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly sneak  out, and climb into the 
 other   building.   the    contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict   for  a  long  time,   windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all   over  the  floor.  no 
 electric  lights,  but i can see by  the 
 light  that shines in wherever  the dark 
 windows    are     missing    a    pane. 
                                          
 however, the greatest difference is  the 
 higher  floors: this building has  none. 
 it is one massive hall, stretching  away 
 infinitely above me. somewhere up  there 
 is some  great  iron  latticework,  from 
 where  chains  are suspended,  and parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there is,  in the  middle  of the  great 
 hall,  a   thin  spiral  staircase  that 
 leads up there.  i sneak over there, and 
 take  a few reluctant steps. after  just 
 a  revolution, i  notice  that  for each 
 step  the  building starts to glow,  the 
 bricks  turning  a  dark  red, and  then 
 orange, all  the  piled up  debree being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i stop ready to  run down and  out,  but 
 there's  someone else on  the  staircase 
 with   me  now,  pressed   close.   he's 
 looking like me,  short  hair  and  thin 
 arms, but  with ears  from some  animal, 
 and more  disturbingly,  completely made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear  holds  me  in  place  while he 
 starts  operating levers  and dials  set 
 in the center  of the staircase. slowly, 
 it  starts  spinning, circling  upwards. 
 it's  an   elevator!  i  start  to   run 
 downwards,   but   now  the  liquid  boy 
 creature  grabs hold of  me.  i  try  to 
 shake him off, but he's  too strong, and 
 pulls    me    back   up   beside   him. 
                                          
 this time, i turn  angry  instead.  what 
 the hell? who is  this guy, acting  like 
 this? i reach out my  free arm and  slam 
 a  random  lever.  some   metal  bar  is 
 suddenly  released  between us,  hitting 
 him  on the arm, forcing my  release.  i 
 shove him off of  me, and he  falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,  a   thin  rusty  chainmail 
 curtain is  dropped around  me.  but the 
 elevator  also speeds up  significantly. 
                                          
 the   walls  are  flaring  now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue. i close my  eyes and 
 curl into  a ball. but then,  the  glass 
 boy  screams,  a   piercing  sound  that 
 forces my eyes back open. i watch as  he 
 becomes  too  liquid,  his  body pooling 
 down in  his now massive  tail, and  the 
 tip of it suddenly  breaks of in a glass 
 drop  that  falls  toward   the  factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's  crawling on the stairs,  unable to 
 keep his  body upright.  can't reach the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his  body  is turning  into  dark 
 pearls.  finally, he's lost too much  of 
 himself and the  scream  is  cut  short. 
 the   last    of    him    rains   down. 
                                          
 i  still can't  reach  the  levers  from 
 within  my  cage.  looking  up, i try to 
 make out the  ceiling,  but  it's all  a 
 whirling sea  of colours. below me glows 
 the hellfire  of the  factory walls, but 
 very faint. i  sit  down, curl  back up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large  clunk shakes  my entire  body, 
 and  snaps  me  back  into reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs  are   still   moving   slightly, 
 clicking in  place, carrying me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and   i  slowly  dismount   the  stairs. 
                                          
 shaking and crying, i make  my  way over 
 the  factory floor, wading through  dark 
 glass marbles.  a quick glance down, and 
 i  see  there's  something  faint inside 
 them.   embryos?    are    these   eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.